Journey to the Past
by The Tiny Dangerous One
Summary: To increase their chances of winning the World Championship, The Blitzkrieg Boys turn to an old friend. Kaixoc
1. Chapter 1

It was a brutally cold winter, even for Russia. But there was nowhere else the young woman knew to go. As the mistress of a prominent Polish businessman, she wasn't supposed to be pregnant. Perhaps if she took a "vacation" to Russia for ten months, she could deceive her lover and keep her comfortable life style.

The tired yong woman arrived at the Convent of St. Nikolai a mere two hours before the child was born. She stayed just long enough to give her new daughter a name. She named her Anastasiya Leokadia Tabaczynski.

**Twelve Years Later**

Anastasiya liked to cook, but she didn't like cooking for creepers like Boris and his goons. Three years of working in the abbey kitchen and she still wasn't used to them.

"Look mister, at this point, I don't care if you're the friggin' Pope. I've got dinner to fix. Now get your ass outta the kitchen." She sighed. The goon in question gave a non-committal grunt and left the kitchen. Once the door shut, Anastasiya turned to the other half a dozen girls on kitchen duty that day. "All right girls, let's get started," she ordered.

The girls, age ten to twelve, hustled to obey. Dinner was the only hot meal served at the abbey as breakfast was only bread, cheese and water and there was no lunch. The menu was always the same; soup and bread. Anastasiya had two hours to cook for four hundred boys.

Somehow she always managed to pull it off.

"Here's today's list," the voice was quiet and reserved with the undertone of danger that always accompanied an abbey blader. One of the ways the abbey punished poor performance was to send bladers to bed without dinner. Their dinner time was spent in additional practice. Every night the "don't feed" list was sent to the kitchen staff. It was their job to pass out food only to the ones who had earned it.

Anastasiya turned to the boy who had spoken.

"Thanks Tala," she replied, scanning the list. "Why is Bryan on here again?" The red head shrugged.

Anastasiya ripped the list up and threw it in the trash, just like always.

Every night, Anastasiya sent the rest of the girls home early and started to clean up by herself. It wasn't too long before she heard the knock at the door she was listening for. Drying her hands, she went to the backdoor of the kitchen and opened it to reveal the silver haired topic of her earlier conversation with Tala along with Kai and four other younger boys.

"Come on in," Anastasiya opened the door wider, allowing the boys inside.

"I hope you know what you're doing," Bryan warned. Anastasiya only smiled and took the leftover soup out of the fridge and put it on the stove to heat.

"If you're caught, you're gonna be in a shit load of trouble," Kai informed her five minutes later when she handed him his bowl.

Anastasiya turned her pale ice blue eyes to meet his crimson ones.

"That's why I don't plan on getting caught." She replied.

**Four Years Later**

"Order up!"

"I swear, I'm gonna end up working with food for the rest of my life." Anastasiya muttered to herself as she picked up the tray. Weaving her way through the café, she made her way to the correct table.

"Well, well, well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes." Anastasiya nearly dropped the now-empty tray on her way back to the kitchen. She whirled around to find the source and her eyes landed on three vary familiar figures.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here?" she snapped.

"Nice to see you again too," Tala replied.

"Are you on break soon?" Kai added. "We need to talk."

The miniature blonde rolled her eyes and walked off to tell her manager she was taking her break early.

"So how've you been, принцесса (princess)?" Tala asked when she sat down across form him. _Right next to Kai, how ironic, _He thought.

"Fabulous," she replies sarcastically.

"Don't act so hurt, you're a hard person to track down."

"Not if you were really trying, I'm not."

"I hate to interrupt this heart-felt reunion," Kai interrupted sarcastically, "But can we get to the point?"

"I see you haven't lost your touch," Anastasiya quipped.

"You either,"

"_Anyway_," Tala interrupted the argument before it started. "We came to find you 'cause we need your help, Ani." The said Pol raised an eyebrow. Tala rarely called her 'Ani' anymore. "We need a mechanic and you're the only one any of us trust."

"So I don't hear from any of you for two years, and now you want a mechanic? For a team which is ironically named the Blitzkrieg _Boys_, I might add." she growled. "Saint Genesius,_ ma litośc na mnie_ (have mercy on me)."

"_Ale wy jesteście jedyny jed ufamy _(but you're the only one we trust),_"_ Tala pressed.

Anastasiya sighed, "_Poznaję, poznaję _(I know, I know)."

"Please Ani," he pleaded in one final attempt.

_If Tala's resorted to 'please,' it must be important_. Anastasiya thought. "_Dobrze, wy wygrywacie_, (all right, you win)" she sighed, throwing up her hands before crossing her arms over her chest.

"Good," Tala said, back to business "Kai will pick you up after your shift."

--

"Why me?" Kai asked his captain when they left the café.

"I figure you two need some alone time to catch up," the red head smirked.

"Я ненавижу Вас (I hate you)."

**Anastasiya's Profile**

Name: Anastasiya (ah nah STAH see ah) Leokadia (lee o KAH dee ah) Tabaczynski  
Nickname(s): принцесса (Princess), Ana, Ani (Tala only)  
Age: 16  
Gender: Female  
Height: 5' 0"  
Eye Color: Ice Blue  
Hair Color: Blonde  
Weight: about 100 lbs.  
Nationality: Polish

Birthday: Feb. 4  
Rank: Mechanic  
Team: Blitzkrieg Boys  
Hometown: Moscow, Russia  
Physique: petite.  
Persona: loyal, sarcastic, caring, protective

Likes: animals esp. dogs, arguing w/ Bryan, singing,

Dislikes: being cold, dead bugs, rude people.


	2. Chapter 2

**I was so eager to publish this I forgot the usual pre-chapter stuff!**

**I do not own Beyblade.**

**Thanks to SuicidalBeyblader for being my Beta, and Charles for his ideas!**

True to Tala's word, Kai was waiting outside the café when Anastasiya finished her shift thirty minutes later.

"Why did Tala have you pick me up?" she grumbled as she climbed into the passenger seat.

"He figures we need some time to talk," Kai explained.

"About . . .?"

"He thinks you have abandonment issues." Anastasiya found the fact that they were having this conversation while casually sitting in a car a bit ironic.

"Well, you mysteriously disappear from the abbey, then show up years later, but only for a couple of weeks, only to leave again and I don't see any of you for two years. Why wouldn't I have abandonment issues?" she replied.

"It's a long story and we really don't have time right now," Kai growled.

Anastasiya grumbled something incoherently.

"Look, because you're the mechanic, we don't have to put you on the roster. You don't even have to sit on the bench if you don't want to. You can watch the matches from the locker room."

"That's not my problem,"

"Oh?"

"It took you and Tala two years to finally show up. Why now?" Kai spared a second to glance at her.

"Because our Beyblades need serious upgrades," he replied. "And you're the only one besides ourselves who we trust to touch them."

"I need to stop at my apartment and pick some stuff up." Anastasiya informed him, trying to change the subject.

"Like?"

"My laptop, some clothes, Artemis and Caesar–"

"Who?"

"My dogs."

"You have dogs?"

"That _was _the implication."

______________________________________________________________________________

Anastasiya's living space was almost too small to be called an apartment. It was one room with the kitchen, living room and bedroom all rolled in together. As soon as she opened the door, two grey heads popped up from the bed. The two dogs leapt off the bed and bounded toward the tiny blonde.

"An Irish Wolfhound and a Great Dane. Figures." Kai chuckled.

"I can't help it that I like big dogs." Anastasiya called from the other side of the room where she was transferring some clothes from her dresser to a duffle bag.

"There's just something wrong with your brain." he added, taking a moment to look around. "Which one is which?" he asked after a few moments.

"Artemis is the Wolfhound, she's.. Well a she. Caesar's a boy and a Great Dane."

"I figured _that _one out." Anastasiya ignored him and walked into the bathroom to change out of her uniform. When she walked out five minutes later, she looked more like the Anastasiya he remembered. She was wearing loose fitting, faded, jeans held in place by a studded black belt. The pale ice blue of her long-sleeve sweater brought out the color of her eyes. She wore her signature black leather, military style boots, with white knit fingerless gloves and a pageboy cap.

Kai smirked when his new team mate walked to the dogs and patted them on the head. _Same old Ana_, he thought, happy that in the years apart, she hadn't changed at all.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

She simply nodded and followed him out the door.

______________________________________________________________________________

"O.K. Valkov, let's set some things straight." were Anastasiya's first words when she walked through the door of the Blitzkrieg Boy's hotel room. Artemis and Caesar sat patiently at her sides. The red headed Russian merely raised an eyebrow in response. "I know you're the captain of this team. But I'll only take your crap so far."

"Oh?" was the response from the captain.

"Don't try to get me up at three or five or what ever ungodly hour you get up at,"

"Tried that before, Ani, learned my lesson _years _ago."

"Second, I reserve the right to kill, maim, or otherwise injure anyone of you who piss me off;"

"I'll think about it. Anything else, принцесса (Princess)?"

"For the time being," The entire team rolled their eyes in unison. Tala pulled a room key out of his back pocket and handed it to Anastasiya.

"You're lucky this hotel allows pets," he said. "You've got your own room. It's right next to ours. I've got the spare, just in case."

"Do I get a copy of your room key?"

Tala gave her a flat look, "No."

"Why not?" Anastasiya pouted.

"Because I know you," was his response.

Anastasiya pulled her signature puppy face. Unfortunately for her, Tala was immune to this by now and just stared at her levelly. From the couch, Bryan started laughing. Anastasiya rolled her eyes and turned toward the door.

"I'm going to bed," she informed them. "Don't get me up before ten a.m."

The way Kai followed her out the door did not go unnoticed by the rest of his team.

______________________________________________________________________________

"So how did your talk go?" Tala smirked when the tiny blonde Pol shut the door.

"That's none of your business," Kai growled.

"So you're not picking up where you left off?" Bryan taunted, deciding to joining in on the 'Roast of Kai'.

"We didn't leave off anywhere."

"Sure thing," Bryan chuckled.

"Whatever you say," Tala added, laughing as well.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry about the late post, school's been busy.**

**I don't own Beyblade. Pity, that.**

It wasn't until ten-thirty the next morning when Anastasiya finally appeared in the hotel's outdoor Beyblade training area.

"Well look who finally decided to grace us with her presence," Bryan said, being the first to spot her.

"Fell honored," was the tiny Pol's deadpan reply.

"So are you going to take a look at our Beyblades now, or do you need a little more beauty sleep?" Tala asked, folding his arms as he did so.

"Keep in mind that I'm only doing this because I love you," Anastasiya said, pointing at him for emphasis.

"I feel so honored."

"You should. Now let me see your blades so I can fix them."

Tala and Spencer handed theirs over immediately, while Kai and Bryan opted to finish their sparing match first.

Taking Tala's Beyblade, Anastasiya promptly sat down cross-legged in the spot she had be standing in moments earlier. Tala watched her silently as she took Wolborg apart and examined him.

"These two gears are out of alignment, making him slightly off-balance," she stated after a few moments.

"I haven't noticed anything odd," Tala replied.

"Maybe not yet, but another battle or two and Wolborg would be wobbling all over the place."

Tala "hmm'd" in response and took his now aligned Beyblade from his old friend/new team mate.

"You next," Anastasiya said before scooping up Bryan's blade mid-spin.

"Hey! We were in the middle of a match!" the silver-haired Russian protested.

"Well yours is the worst and it's annoying me,"

"Let it go Bryan," Kai cut in. "She does what she wants."

"Not for very long," Tala said, casting Anastasiya a warning look.

"That's what you think," was her only response.

The red-headed Russian captain narrowed his eyes, but didn't say anything. From years they spent in the abbey together, he knew it was useless to argue. The girl was stubborn as Kai, possibly more. And that was saying something. Tala made a mental note to speak to her privately about it. It was the only way to get her to do anything.

"Here you go, you big baby," Anastasiya had finished Bryan blade while Tala was brooding.

"Never do that again," Bryan growled.

"Never do what again?" the tiny blonde cocked her head in confusion.

"Grab my blade when I'm in the middle of a match!"

"Your blade was two seconds away from falling apart! It was bothering me!"

"Well too bad! You don't just grab someone's blade in the middle of a match!"

"Oh get over it. It's not like it was a real match anyway."

"It's the same thing!" Bryan was turning redder by the second.

"Really? Because I thought a practice match was just for, well, practice."

"Leave it, Bryan," Kai snapped, cutting in before his silver-haired teammate could say, or do, anything more.

"Why do you always take her side?" Bryan growled.

"Kai's right," Tala said, figuratively putting his foot down. "Anastsiya's our mechanic now, we'll have to put up with her."

"Thanks so much," Anastasiya said sarcastically.

Tala gave her one of his signature dead-pan stares. His long-time friend grinned in response.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Do you enjoy pissing Bryan off, or does it come naturally?" Kai asked.

Kai was leaning on the railing of the balcony, smoking. Anastasiya was leaning with her back to the skyline, her weight supported by her elbows.

"It's more or less a hobby," was her answer.

"That's a pretty dangerous hobby."

"So is smoking."

Kai, shrugged, taking another drag.

"Since when do you smoke anyway?"

Kai shrugged, "A year maybe."

"Great, you're without me for a year, and you start smoking."

"Tala smokes too, Ana,"

"Yea, but he's smoked since he was ten," she defended.

"And that's better because . . . ?"

"Umm . . . because he only smokes before a big match?"

"That make a lot of sense," Kai replied sarcastically.

"If you didn't know by now, I rarely make a lot of sense."

Minutes had passed in a comfortable silence when Kai spoke up.

"Are you really ok with this?" he asked, looking her in the eyes for the first time.

"Ok with what?"

"With this situation. With us showing up all of a sudden?"

Anastasiya thought for a moment.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully.

Kai took a long drag from his cigarette, as if deciding on something. Finally, he reached out and took her hand.

"I promise you won't regret it," he whispered.

**Well there you have it, chapter three. I wanted this chapter to sort of set up the character's relationships with each other. And** **I kind of see Kai as a smoker, so I decided to put it in!**

**P.S. SuicidalBeyblader is the best beta ever!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry it's been so long since my last update. I don't own Beyblade.**

Anastasiya was not the kind of person who you woke up before they were ready. Tala was, however, a veteran at waking up his long-time friend with minimal injury to his person. Today was no different.

It was the first day of the Russian preliminaries and Tala wanted her to see their opponents' blades in action in case any last-minute adjustments needed to be made. He had spent the last five minutes trying to get the tiny blonde Pol to wake up, or even make a complete sentence.

"_Udają się daleko_ (said go away)," came the mumbled voice from under the covers.

"Can't do that, принцесса (princess)," Tala replied, artfully dodging the alarm clock aimed at his head. Not that there was much need to, Anastasiya had poor aim, even when she was awake.

"_Przerywać mówiący Rosyjski! Nie Może rozumieć! _(Stop speaking Russian! Can't understand!)"

"Встаньте тогда (get up then),"

"_Żaden_ (no)!"

"встаньте или Вы не получаете завтрак (get up or you don't get breakfast)," Tala growled his already short patience wearing thin.

"_Potem nie będzie jeść_ (then won't eat),"

Kai chose that moment to walk into the room and assist his captain. Leaning on the door jam and folding his arms, he said the one thing that was guaranteed to get Anastasiya up every time.

"They have Chocolate Luck Charms,"

The blonde shot up faster than Tala would have thought possible in her half-asleep state.

"Are you serious?" she asked, eyes wide in disbelief.

Kai nodded.

Leaping out of the bed, the boys saw that she was wearing flannel footed pajamas with little hearts all over.

"Nice, Ani," Tala chuckled.

"Would you rather I wore my underwear to bed?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I wouldn't, but I'm sure Kai would,"

Kai simply left the room in response.

"You're so mean to him," Anastasiya chuckled.

"Get dressed and meet us downstairs in ten minutes," Tala ordered.

"_Tak matka_ (yes mother)."

--

"она ест как корова (she eats like a cow)," Bryan grumbled, watching the tiny blonde scarf down her bowl of chocolately goodness.

"Your mom eats like a cow," she replied.

"Enough!" Tala snapped, stopping the impending argument before it began.

"Well well, looks like there's some discontentment in camp 'Blitzkrieg Boys,'"

The team looked up to see a young woman with over-tanned skin and blue hair standing by their table. Arms crossed with a smug look on her face. Anastasiya looked from Kai to the girl and back again.

"_Kto jest__dizwka_ (who's the [hussy])?" she asked.

Kai was the only one able to keep a straight face.

"What's going on?" Ming Ming pouted.

"Our mechanic was just asking who you were," Kai explained.

"Oh."

"This is your mechanic?" another voice interrupted. "But she's a woman."

"Nice deduction Siebolds," Tala replied. "Did you figure this one out yourself, or did you have help?"

"Hey, easy Valkov. It was just a question."

"Yes, I have boobs," Anastasiya said, switching to English.

Garland and Ming Ming walked away, seemingly unable to reply. Once they were out of ear-shot, Kai turned to her.

"вы знаете люди может иметь boobs слишком (you know men can have boobs too)?"

--

"ALL RIGHT BOYS AND GIRLS! ARE YOU READY FOR THE FIRST ROUND OF THE RUSSIAN PRELIMINARIES?!" DJ Jazzman's magnified voice rang through the packed stadium.

"Does he always have to yell?" Anastasiya complained.

"Unfortunately he only has one volume," Spencer answered.

The mechanic flopped down on the couch in the Blitzkrieg Boys' lounge, Artemis and Caesar positioning themselves on either side of the couch. Anastasiya had snuck the two in by claiming they were service dogs in training.

"Are you sure you don't want to watch in the stadium?" Tala asked.

"Too many people." she replied.

Tala shrugged and sat down at the table, followed by Bryan and Spencer. Kai, however, sat down next to the Pol. Unconsciously, she scooted closer, leaning against his shoulder. Kai tensed for an moment and then relaxed.

--

"Now, how could you miss something like that?" Bryan asked half-jokingly.

"I didn't," Anastasiya replied, flopping down on the couch in the boys' room.

"How would you know?" Tala asked. "You fell asleep."

"Yea, weren't you supposed to be scooping out the other teams?" Spencer asked.

"Please," Anastasiya scoffed. "They were so weak, I got bored."

"I wasn't bored," Tala replied.

"Yea, well, you're a freak," she replied.

The red-headed captain simply rolled his eyes.

"Hey, Ani, _może rozmawiamy _(hey Ani, can we talk)?" Kai spoke up. He used her native language knowing that Tala was the only other one who spoke it.

"_Pewnien _(sure)," she replied, getting up and following him out the door.

**So here it is, Chapter 4. Question, if I posted a G.I. JOE story, would you read it?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry it's taken so long to update. I own nothing.**

Artemis and Caesar walked behind the couple, as if sensing they needed their privacy. It had been five minutes and neither had spoken. They simply walked through the streets of Moscow in a comfortable silence. It was Anastasiya who finally broke the silence.

"So . . . why did you want to talk?" she asked.

"Are you _really _happy?" Kai asked.

"What?"

"Do you really want to be doing this again?" he explained.

"I missed you guys. I really did," she answered.

"It's gotta bring up some pretty bad memories," he said.

"Tala and I have already talked about it," she lied.

"When?" Kai asked.

"The other day,"

"You're a horrible liar."

"Shut up."

They walked in silence for a while. Artemis moved up to walk beside her master, while Caesar stayed behind. The streets of Moscow were almost deserted by this time, but still the two walked on. Kai looked over at Anastasiya. There was something he wanted to ask her, but he was afraid of the answer.

"Ana," he started. "About us . . ."

"What about us?" she asked. Her voice held a trace of annoyance and sorrow.

"Before I left . . . we were . . ." Kai mentally kicked himself. Why couldn't he find the right words to say?

"You missed your chance, Kai," Anastasiya replied.

"Do I get a second one?"

"Maybe."

-----

When they got back to the hotel, Kai immediately joined Tala on the balcony and pulled out a cigarette.

"Didn't go so well?" the captain asked.

"Hn," Kai grunted.

"I'll take that as a no. But honestly, what did you expect? Anastasiya's a strong-willed girl. She made you work for it the first time."

Kai grunted again.

"Just don't let it get in the way of the tournament," Tala ordered.

Kai rolled his eyes, "да мать (yes mother)."

**Well, it's a short one, but it's better than nothing, right? The next chapter will be longer and have 'blading awesomeness**.


	6. Chapter 6

**Ok, so not technically a new chapter, but this is a longer version.**

Chapter 6

Anastasiya had a migraine. It probably came from listening to D J Jazzman scream into his microphone for six straight hours. And the fans weren't helping much either. She decided to pass the time by stealing Tala's Wolborg and disassembling and then reassembling it over and over. Eventually, Tala grabbed it out of her hands.

"Hey!" Ana whined.

"I want you to watch this next team," he explained.

Ana looked up to see the BBA Revolutions walking into the arena. While there were four people to a team, she only paid close attention to Daichi and Tyson. The former was a strong opponent for all the bouncing around he did. Tyson was almost the exact opposite. He was calm and collected throughout most of the match. Granted, their opponents were relative newbies and the match didn't take more than twenty minutes.

That evening, Ana was sitting on her bed with her laptop, going over all of the statistics she has gathered, when a knock came at her door.

"Come in," she said, knowing who it was.

"It's a hotel room, Ani," came Tala's voice. The doors lock automatically."

"Well use your key then, I'm busy."

She heard an exasperated sigh from her long-time friend before he unlocked and opened the door. The entire team was standing behind him.

"It's time for dinner," Tala said.

"Hold on, I'm almost finished," she replied

"I thought you were hungry,"

"She probably found out that the hotel doesn't serve chocolate Lucky Charms for dinner," Bryan said. Spencer chuckled and Ana flipped him off.

"Not my job, ask Kai,"

That earned him a smack in the back of the head by said team mate and a glare from the captain.

The team went to a near-by restaurant where Tala had to keep Ana and Bryan from killing each other, as per usual. As they were walking through the lobby, they were stopped by another blader.

"Tala! Hey Tala!" the boy jogging up to them was Chinese, Ana guessed one of the White Tigers.

"Hello Rei," Tala answered evenly.

"I thought I should come warn you," the other captain replied. "There's been some strange men in suits going around harassing teams. They've already intimidated some newer teams into forfeiting."

"What do they want?" Kai asked.

"A certain team to win, apparently, but they've been real careful about not saying who."

Tala nodded, thanked Rei, and they went on their separate ways.

"What are we going to do?" Kai asked. The whole team had converged in Ana's room and the silver haired Russian was leaning up against the wall near her bed.

"Nothing for now," the captain replied, who was standing with folded arms at the end of the bed.

"They're going to come knocking eventually," Ana said, not even looking up from her laptop.

Artemis, who was lying next to her on the bed, huffed as if in agreement.

"We're not going to back out of the tournament," Tala said.

"I know that, but we're going to have to deal with them eventually."


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry it's been so long since I updated. Now that my computer's working, I can get back to writing!**

"What do you think they want?" Bryan asked. The whole team was gathered in Ana's room as she was making adjustments to their 'blades before their match the next day.

"Some big shot's probably got lots a money on someone," Spencer said as he scratched Caesar's belly.

"The question is who," Tala replied.

"Does it matter?" Kai asked. "They're obviously a crappy team if people have to go around intimidating their opponents. They'll get kicked out on their own."

"I agree with Kai," Bryan added.

Tala nodded. "There are plenty of teams strong enough to beat them and who won't be threatened."

"See, there's no reason to worry."

"Bryan, you really need to take better care of Falborg," Ana spoke up. "I can hear in crying."

"He is _not crying_!" the silver haired Russian snapped.

"Sure. Whatever you say."

"Cut it out," Tala snapped. Sighing, he opened the sliding glass door and stepped out.

"Awww look, you made him smoke," Spencer joked.

"He's been doing that a lot more since you joined the team," Kai told Ana as he settled beside her on the bed. Artemis gave him a forlorn look that clearly said 'you're stealing my person.'

"Actually, it seems to be a combination of Ana and Bryan," Tala said.

"How is it my fault?" Bryan asked indignantly.

"Because everything is your fault," Ana replied

"Honestly?" the Russian captain snapped before another argument could start.

"Honestly what?" Ana asked, trying to look innocent. "I didn't do anything."

"You didn't have to," Kai answered.

"Falborg's ready," she told Bryan, throwing the 'blade at the back of his head.

"OW!" Bryan growled. Tala managed to stop the two with a look before anything else happened.

A little over half an hour later, Ana had all if their 'blades ready. Tala ushered the team out of their mechanic's room so they could get some sleep. Kai stayed back to talk to Ana privately.

"Don't worry," he said softly, putting his hand on her cheek. "We won't let anything happen to you."

"You seem awfully worried about a couple of fixers," she replied.

"I have a bad feeling that there's more to it."

"You don't have to worry about me."

Kai smirked. "I know." He gently pressed a kiss to her lips before heading out the door.

"Good night, принцесса (princess)."


	8. Chapter 8

**Yay! A long chapter! And another one will be on the way soon.**

"Bryan Kuznetsov! You are so DEAD!" Ana's voice echoed down the hall way.

Minuets later, the blonde mechanic stepped out of her room, not caring who saw her in her footie pajamas. Spotting the object of her anger at the end of the hall way, she took off after him at top speed.

"Shit," Bryan swore under his breath and ran in the opposite direction. A quick look at the irate Pol revealed the source of her anger.

She was wet. To be specific, her head and shoulders were wet. It seemed her team mate decided that throwing a bucket of cold water would be a good way to wake her up.

And now he was running for his life. He didn't have to run far, because the noise brought anyone still in their room out to see what the commotion was, including Kai and Tala. Acting quickly, Kai reached out and grabbed Ana around the waist.

"Pozwalane ja udaje się (Let me go)!" she growled in Polish, trying to escape.

"On nie pozwala wam udajecie się (He's not letting you go)." Tala replied calmly. Switching to Russian he addressed Kai, "Возьмите ее в свою комнату (take her back to her room)."

Kai coaxed Ana down the hall and back into her room without further incident. Assured that Kai would be able to calm her down, Tala turned his attention to Bryan.

"I asked you to wake her up, not piss her off," he said calmly.

"I only threw a bucket of cold water on her head," Bryan replied innocently. Tala just sighed and shook his head. At least Kai was the one who was having to deal with the murderous Polish woman.

– – – – –

Back in Ana's room, Kai was doing his best to calm down said murderous Polish woman. After one look and their mistress, Artemis and Caesar wisely stayed on the bed. Ana went over and gave them both a reassuring pat on the head. And then proceeded to undress. Kai raised an eyebrow at her and she just rolled her eyes.

"Oh please, it's nothing you haven't seen before," she said, tossing her pajamas aside and heading into the bathroom to dry her hair. Moments later, the hair dryer kicked on.

Kai smirked and turned to the coffee maker. Caffeine would make her slightly less murderous. After putting the grounds in, he grabbed the mug and headed to the bathroom to get water. He glanced at Ana. She was immersed in her own world, a scowl on her face.

He filled the mug and set it down on the counter. Walking up behind her, he snaked his arm around her waist and placed a gentle kiss on her shoulder. Glancing up, he met her gaze in the mirror.

"Don't look so surprised дорогой (darling)," he murmured in her ear before placing another kiss behind it, grabbing the mug and walking out.

The coffee was ready by the time Ana walked out of the bathroom. Her hair was dry and she had put on some underwear. She made a beeline for the coffee, which Kai held out to her. She then shuffled to the dresser and pulled out her clothes for the day.

"So have you given up on killing Bryan?" Kai asked as she was dressing.

"No," she replied. "I just won't kill him right now."

"Well at least wait until after the tournament, we might need him," he smirked.

– – – – –

The rest of the Blitzkrieg Boys were waiting in the hotel lobby when Kai and Ana made it down. The mechanic turned her icy glare on Bryan.

"You might want to sleep with one eye open," she advised.

"Wanna know the best part?" he smirked in response. "Your delayed reaction."

Ana punched him in the arm.

"хватит (That's enough)!" Tala barked. "If you two are done acting like children, we have a match to get to."

– – – – –

Today's match against the All Stars would be the Blitzkrieg Boys first tough battle of the tournament. Both Tala and Kai finished a cigarette on the short walk to the stadium. Ana elected to sit on the sidelines and get up-close information on the other team.

"The All Stars are all about stats and data," Tala whispered to her as both teams entered the stadium. Ana couldn't help smirking at the American's faces when they noticed her. She sat on the bench and opened her laptop.

As the boys had previously decided, Bryan stepped up to the dish first. The All Stars sent up a brunette boy in a baseball cap who Spencer told her was the team captain, Michael. It wasn't an easy battle, but Bryan still won it. Ana was glad she had fixed his 'blade the night before, otherwise Falborg might not have survived the match.

Bryan flopped on the bench after being announced the victor. Kai stood up to take on a beyblader who Tala called Rick.

"Who's the chick on you bench Kai? She your cheerleader?" Rick asked as they prepared for the start of the match.

"She's our mechanic," Kai replied flatly.

"Your mechanic is a _girl_?"

"Your mechanic is a girl too, dumb ass. Unless Emily got a sex-change."

Rick didn't have a chance to respond as Jazzman started the countdown.

– – – – –

As soon as the Blitzkrieg Boys were back in their hotel room, Ana threw her arm around Kai and kissed him.

"What was that for?" he asked. Not that he was complaining.

"For winning," she beamed.

"I've won before,"

"Yea, but I wasn't paying attention to those,"

"Get a room!" Bryan groaned when their lips locked again.

"Hey, at least she's in a good mood now," Spencer pointed out. Bryan rolled his eyes and grabbed a soda from the mini fridge.

**Please review. I live off them! And if you like this story, check out _Kai's First Christmas_!**


	9. Chapter 9

The next few days passed without anything major happening. The Blitzkrieg Boys battled a rather weak team the day after they faced the All Stars. The next two days they had off, so Ana spent them overhauling the team's 'blades. Currently, the whole team was practicing in the hotel's outdoor practice area so Ana could fine-tune their new 'blades and iron out any kinks.

"Hey! Give that back! Bad dog!" the voice came from around the corner of the hotel. A moment later, Caesar came bounding around the corner, followed closely Artemis and then Tyson.

"Ana, what have your dogs been up to?" Tala asked.

"I don't know! I didn't even know they left!"

The two dogs stopped in front of their mistress looking very pleased with themselves. Caesar dropped a beyblade at her feet. Tyson stopped and rested his hands on her knees, panting heavily.

"Caesar! Bad dog!" Ana scolded. She bent down, picked up the 'blade and handed it back to its owner. "Sorry about that."

"Oh, no harm done really," Tyson replied, taking it back. "I think they thought it was a game."

"Leave it to your dogs to think stealing a beyblade is a game," Tala chuckled.

"You must be their new mechanic! I know Kenny can't wait to meet you!"

Further conversation was cut short when Daichi skidded around the corner and announced that Kenny was looking for him. Tyson waved good-bye and followed his team mate back inside the hotel.

Once the dogs were properly scolded and put back in Ana's room, Tala announced that it was time to find lunch.

"I miss Ana's cooking," Spencer sighed as they walked to a nearby restaurant.

"It's too bad we're living out of a hotel right now," Bryan agreed.

"And what makes you boys think I'd even cook for you?" Ana asked indignantly.

"Because you _like _to," Kai replied.

"I've had more than enough cooking for one lifetime, thank you,"

The Blitzkrieg Boys all snorted in disbelief.

"If you hate cooking, I'm the Queen of England," Tala chuckled.

"Really? You are?" Ana's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "It's lovely to meet you your majesty!"

Tala reached out to smack her behind the head, but she ducked.

– – – – –

That night was relatively quiet. The Blitzkrieg Boys had a match against Barthez Battalion the next day, but none of them were particularly worried. Their next big match wasn't until the day after against the Majestic's. So the team was taking it easy that night. Spencer was reading in the armchair, Kai was on the bed watching TV, and Bryan was filling the role of 'new best friend' to Artemis and Caesar. Tala and Ana were on the balcony catching up.

"So, you've decided to give Kai a second chance," the Russian captain observed, lighting a cigarette.

"I guess," the mechanic sighed in response. "I was planning on making him really work for it. That failed miserably."

Tala followed his friend's gaze to the subject of their discussion. One look at her face told him all he needed to know.

"You're in love," he told her, flicking ash over the railing.

"What would you know about that, Valkov?" she snapped, pouting.

"Ana," he sighed. "You've got to admit it sometime. Either you're right for each other or you're not. Take it as advice from your старший брат (big brother)."

"You're only three months older than me,"

Tala sighed again and took a long drag. "I'm just trying to look out for you принцесса (princess)."

"I know. Dziękują (Thank you)," Ana gave her surrogate brother a small smile and entered the hotel room. Tala watched as she joined Kai on the bed. The usually stoic 'blader smiled at her and slipped an arm around her shoulders, allowing her to snuggle into his side.

**I know it's short. :( A combination of writer's block and school.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Wow, chapter 10 already! I know this is another short one but, the combiation of writer's block and school is crazy ! ^_^ But I felt that you guys deserved something! Enjoy!**

Barthez Battalion had gotten stronger since the last tournament. Tala figured within two years, they would be formidable competition. But this was not two years in the future, and Kai was completely destroying Miguel. Tala had already defeated Claude. Ana was enjoying either the _performance _of her new creations, or the destruction of another 'blade _by _her new creations. Probably both.

"Having fun over there?" Tala smirked leaning forward slightly to look at the mechanic.

Ana just aimed a glare in his general direction and Bryan chuckled.

– – – – –

That evening, there was a knock at Ana's hotel room door. When she opened it, two men in black suits were standing on the other side.

"We would like to employ your services," the taller one said before Ana could ask what they wanted.

"I think you have the wrong room," she replied. As she started to close the door in their faces, the other one reached out and stopped it.

"You are the mechanic for the Blitzkrieg Boys, are you not?" he asked.

"And what if I am?" Ana spat indignantly.

"We would like you to build five beyblades for us," the first one said.

"I don't think so,"

"We will pay you a very hefty sum," the second man replied.

This time, as Ana went to close the door, the men attempted to enter her room.

"Stop it!" she cried indignantly.

"We are not done speaking with you,"

"She said no, gentlemen," Kai spat out the last word sarcastically. The men turned to the pissed off Russian standing behind them. Kai had been out practicing with his new Dranzer and now stood with his arms folded, looking very threatening.

The two men left without another word.

"являются Вами хорошо? (Are you alright?)" Kai asked after watching them leave.

"Все хорошо, (I'm fine)" she promised, though she sounded a little shaken.

"Come on," he said softly. Putting an arm on the small of her back, he lead her back into the room.

Ana ran a hand through her hair and let out a shaking breath.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Kai asked again, revealing a tenderness that he didn't normally show.

"I'm fine," she insisted. "It just brought back . . . unpleasant . . . memories."

"Do you want me to stay?"

Kai had barely finished his sentence before Ana flung her arms around his neck.

"Please," she mumbled into his shoulder.

"Of course, принцесса (princess)."

**Don't forget to review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm searching for a Beta reader for the two stories that are in progress. Let me know if you're interested. You'll get a sneak perview of all new chapters!**

"I never thought I'd say this, but that's the cutest thing I've ever seen," Bryan said.

"We should take a picture," Spencer added.

"They'd kill you both," Tala said flatly.

Bryan had been given the task of waking Anastasiya up before their match that day. (No one really bothered looking for Kai, he always showed up eventually.) He had called the rest of the team in when he discovered Kai and Ana asleep. Kai was on his back, with her using his shoulder as a pillow.

"Alright, leave them alone," Tala continued, shooing Spencer and Bryan out of the room. He looked at the couple for several moments.

"Kai," he said. His team mate cracked an eye open. "Time to get up."

Kai grunted in acknowledgement and managed to untangle himself from the mechanic without waking her. Tala started to leave, but looked back after a thought.

"If you hurt her again, skip the Bey' battle, I'll just fucking kill you," he warned.

"Understood," was all Kai said.

Kai stepped out of the shower and looked at the clock. It was six, but their first match wasn't until ten. Plenty of time. He glanced at the women still sleeping on the bed. She looked peaceful, in contrast to the night before. Last night he could feel her heart pounding against his chest. He knew there were still some things Ana had never told him about her years at the Abby, but it was times like this Kai wished she would. He wanted to know who had hurt her and where to find them. And kill them. As he watched her, Ana stirred, her eyes fluttering open.

"Доброе утро, принцесса (Good morning, princess)," he smiled.

Ana mumbled something incoherent as she sat up.

"Don't you want to see your 'blades perform?"

"Nie jeżeli to oznacza dostawać się (Not if it means getting up),"

"You're speaking in Polish again," Kai chuckled, kissing her on the forehead.

"Zamykany (shut up)," Ana walked over to the coffee maker, which Kai had already turned on. Taking out the mug, she sipped gratefully. "Mmmmm . . . caffeine."

"When are you going to tell Tala about last night?" Kai asked.

"I'm not," was the reply.

"That's not a good idea. He'll find out eventually."

"He's not my mother."

"No, he's your big brother."

The match that day was not easy. White Tiger X had always been tough opponents, and today was no exception. Tala managed to scrape by a win against Lee, but damaged his new 'blade in the process.

"You broke my baby!" Ana cried when he sat down on the bench.

"It's nice to know inanimate objects are your babies," Tala snapped. He was not happy with his performance, even if he did win. "I thought you said these beyblades could withstand more force."

"They can. But they do have a breaking point, you know. Next time, don't smash Wolborg against the side of the dish."

Tala gave her a glare which she returned. Ignoring them, Kai stepped up to face Rei.

"Any word on those suit freaks?" Rei asked as he got into his launch stance.

"They gave our mechanic a visit last night," Kai replied following suit.

That was all that was said before the match started. Dranzer fared better than Wolborg, but only barely.

"How did your 'blades even _survive_ before me?" Ana asked in amazement. "I've made them at least ten times more durable."

"White Tiger X has gotten a lot stronger than the last time we battled," Tala replied. "They're one of our strongest opponents, along with BBA Revolution and the All Starz."

Ana typed stats and measurements on her laptop. Kai had a fifty-percent chance of winning the battle. Exactly even with his opponent. Ana looked up at Rei. She recognized him as the one who warned them against those men in suits. They seemed to be making their rounds with all of the major teams. Somebody must have made a bet they really didn't want to lose. Ana made a mental note to track down the Revolution's mechanic and see if he'd had any late night requests for beyblades.

"So what's this about two men in suits trying to break into your room?" Tala stood with his arms crossed, staring down at his mechanic.

"Traitor," Ana whispered to Kai.

"Ana, this is important," Tala warned.

"Not really," she protested.

Tala raised an eyebrow, and the silent battle of wills started. Bryan and Spencer looked back and forth between their captain and mechanic. It had been years since they saw this kind of argument between the two. Kai leaned against the wall and sighed. As long as they didn't start trying to kill each other, everything was fine.

"Co zdarzał się? (What happened?)" Tala asked, using Polish to lend a little privacy to the argument.

"Ni zdarzał się, (Nothing happened,)" Ana replied.

"One potrzebował jej budować beyblades (They wanted her to build beyblades,)" Kai interjected.

"Żadne komentarze od galerii orzechu ziemnego! (No comments from the peanut gallery)," Ana retorted.

"Anastasiya!" Tala snapped. Well now she was in trouble. It seemed she had completely skipped the line between friend and captain and had entered into the territory of protective older brother. Not that it really fazed Ana, except to make her more stubborn.

"JA mogę dbać o siebie, _matka_ (I can take care of myself, _mother_)," she replied. She and Tala now had almost identical body language, glare and tone of voice. Seeing them like this, one might think they were actually siblings.

Bryan and Spencer, only knowing a few words of Polish were totally lost, but could tell the argument was a bad one. Bryan looked to Kai for a translation, but his fellow 'blader just shrugged and said nothing.

Without warning, Ana turned on her heel and walked to the door.

"Ta dyskusja nie jest skończona! (This discussion is not finished!)" Tala called after her.

Ana slammed the door in his face.


	12. Chapter 12

"I think you should try and reason with her," Kai walked down the hotel hallway a couple of steps behind Tala.

"There's no reasoning with her, you know that. She's too damn stubborn."

"She just doesn't like being treated like she can't take care of herself."

Tala grumbled and stopped outside of Ana's room. He knocked, but there was no answer.

"Ana?" he called.

Still no answer. He and Kai exchanged a look. It wasn't like her to not answer, even if she was still angry.

"Ana, it's me," Kai called. "It's time for dinner."

Tala held up a hand. "Do you hear that?"

Kai listened. It sounded like faint whining and barking. Artemis and Caesar where upset about something. Kai and Tala exchanged another, concerned look. Getting out his key, Tala unlocked the door, opening it slowly.

The room was trashed. All of the drawers had been pulled out of the dresser and night stand and flung around the room. Ana's suitcase was on the bed, the contents strewn all over the room. Pieces of broken lamps and glasses were everywhere. Kai followed the barking and found Artemis and Caesar locked in the bathroom. He immediately bent down and checked them for injuries. He noticed that Caesar had something in his mouth.

"What do you have there, boy?" he asked. The Great Dane whined and dropped his prize on the floor. It was a piece of black fabric. Kai picked it up. It looked like he had ripped it from whoever had taken his mistress.

"Tala, look at this," Kai stood up and held out the fabric. Tala walked over from the desk, which was also trashed.

"Her laptop and Beyblade parts are missing," the Russian captain said. Kai just nodded.

"Holy shit! What happened here?"

Tala and Kai looked up to see Bryan and Spencer standing in the doorway. They had come to see what was taking so long to get dinner.

"Someone's taken Ana," Tala was the first to respond. His voice was icy and his hands were shaking in anger. Bryan and Spencer walked farther into the room, crunching broken glass under their boots.

"Who the hell could've done this?" Kai growled.

Right then, the phone rang. The Blitzkrieg Boys exchanged looks. After a long pause, Tala went over and picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" the greeting came out as more of a growl.

"I've been waiting for you to come back," the voice on the other end was deep, and masculine.

"Who are you?"

"Who I am is not important. What is important is that I have your mechanic."

"So then what do you want?"

"I want your team to withdraw from the competition."

"Not going to happen."

"Pity. I thought you really cared about this little Polack."

Tala growled.

"Well," the voice continued. "I'll give you some time to think it over before I dispose of the girl. You have three days. And if you know what's good for you, and the girl, you'll start losing your matches."

There was a click, and then a dial tone.

"What did they want?" Bryan asked tentatively.

Tala swore in Russian, and slammed the receiver back in its cradle.


End file.
